Tools to increase the effectiveness of EU import controls for plant health

Plant health is of global importance for agriculture, forestry, natural ecosystems, ecosystem services and biodiversity. Plant health is threatened by species injurious to plants and plant products, which now present a greater risk of being introduced into the Union territory owing to globalisation of trade and climate change. The current EU plant health legislative landscape aims at a proactive approach ensuring safe trade and mitigating the impacts of climate change on the health of the crops and forests in Europe.

Research activities should support these measures by contributing to the development of more rapid, reliable and economic innovative solutions and devices that can assist plant health inspectors at the borders. Technologies such as e-noses, acoustic devices, scanners, and portable devices for molecular identification of plant pests[[ A pest is defined here as any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal or pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products (EU legislation, Regulation 2016/2031)]] within hours/minutes of the specimen’s sampling often using limited amounts of plant or plant product material, and other relevant solutions, are included within the scope of this topic.

Proposals should:

• Deliver more rapid, robust, and innovative solutions appropriate for detecting and identifying plant pests during import controls;
• Make use of innovative technologies for the detection of a broader spectrum of plant pests;
• Prove cost-benefits of the innovative solutions;
• Promote a wider use of new detection technologies for plant health diagnostics.

Proposals must implement the ‘multi-actor approach’ including a range of actors to ensure that knowledge and needs from various sectors such as research, plant health services, industry including SMEs are brought together. Proposals should take due account of dissemination to relevant stakeholders to facilitate the uptake of results.

Proposals should specify how they plan to collaborate with other proposals selected under this and other relevant topics, e.g. by undertaking joint activities, workshops or common communication and dissemination activities. Proposals should allocate the necessary resources to cover these activities.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.